Category: 2017 Fundraising

In the lead up to Christmas, it can be useful to reflect back on the year that has passed. Often it’s through this process that we see God’s faithfulness, protection and provision in our lives. And as we look back over Bible Society’s year, we certainly can see how God has continued to be faithful, generous and gracious in enabling us to help make the Bible, New Testament and Scripture portions available to people all over the world.

Daniel Ramirez and his new Bible.

We want to say ‘thank you’ because through your partnership you’ve helped share God’s love and the hope of the Bible with thousands of children, young people and adults in many different countries, including here in New Zealand.

So, as we approach the end of another year of Bible mission, we want to share with you again some of the stories, projects and people that have been impacted for good through your prayers and generosity. There’s drug addict Zhang Tao living in China, whose life was in crisis. He said, “Without the Bible, my life would not be transformed at all and I would still be living in my past pain and struggles.”

Daniel Ramirez from Uruguay, who was lonely and grieving, was seeking solace. “I only find comfort and company from reading the Bible,” he told staff at the Uruguay Bible Society upon receiving his free Bible.

And then there’s Ruth (one of eight million orphans in India), who, through the prayer of a missionary, gained a place in an orphanage a few years ago and received her first Bible from the Bible Society in India. Today she likes to study and read the Bible, and wants to be a nurse.

Here are some of our highlights from the year…

HOPE FOR NEW ZEALAND PRISONERS

“Much of this work (prison chaplaincy) would not be solid without the imperishable Word of God being placed in these men’s hands. We would be building on a foundation close to wood, hay and rubble. Please accept our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your generosity. It is without a doubt changing their lives.” Rev. Viliame Tuisoso, Prison Chaplaincy Service of Aotearoa New Zealand

James Williamson of Bible Society holds up the special edition of the Gospel of Luke.

Thanks to your support, more than 3,300 Bibles, New Testaments and portions have been distributed to prisoners in New Zealand (figures from January to September 2017). This year a ‘new reader’ programme was developed for prisoners, to help them understand more about Jesus through the Gospel of Luke. This special edition of the Gospel of Luke includes the story of Tārore as written by Joy Cowley. An accompanying study booklet helps prisoners dig deeper into Luke’s Gospel and draws on themes from the Tārore story such as forgiveness and reconciliation. This programme has been successfully trialed in three prisons so far.

BIBLE MONTH – HELPINGORPHANS IN INDIA

Orphans like these girls have received Bibles and school packs.

During Bible Month (July), you generously provided funds for children’s projects in India. Thanks to your support, $57,500 was made available to bring the hope of the Bible to children there.

Your gift provides children’s Bibles and other items (shoes and school books) for children in Christian orphanages,
and it gives children the tools they need to engage with the Bible. Through this work, many young lives will be impacted with a first-time introduction to Jesus through the Bible.

Jeremy Woods of Bible Society with the 2017 youth edition of the Gospel of Luke.

SHARING THE EASTER STORY WITH YOUTH

Your ongoing support has enabled Easter Camps to receive free custom made Bible resources since 2011. This support continued in 2017 with a special new edition of the Gospel of Luke. The 2017 Easter Camp edition features chapter summaries to help youth understand what they’ve just read, reflection sections to encourage Scripture meditation and prayer, and also study questions for youth groups. You enabled us to give away more than 10,000 copies of the Gospel of Luke to Easter camps nationwide.

Our year is not quite over – this Christmas we’re again making available resources to help people and churches pass on the real Christmas story to as many young New Zealanders as possible. We’ve enclosed for you a copy of a new Christmas leaflet for young children – some 80,000 will be provided without cost to churches and other organisations. Feel free to share this leaflet with a child in your life.

As you can see, God has done great things through your generous support of Bible Society. I invite you to continue to journey with us on what is shaping up to be a very exciting 2018! We have some great plans and look forward to sharing those with you soon. In the meantime, would you consider making a gift to help bring the Bible to Kiwis and others around the world this Christmas?

From all of us at Bible Society New Zealand – have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed and special time with your family and loved ones.

Children and adults alike from Kiribati and Tuvalu in the South Pacific are delighted to have Bible comic story books in their own language for the very first time. The Abraham Bible story comics are part of Bible Society’s ongoing mission to reach people in the South Pacific with the Bible in their heart language.

This happy group from Kiribati have received Bible story comics. Also, thanks to your generosity this year, 1,000 Fijian New Testaments, 1,000 Niue Bibles and 10,000 Good News Bibles were distributed to people in seven Pacific countries, including
communities still affected by the devastation of Cyclone Pam.

Thailand Bible Society’s (TBS) soon to be published new Thai Study Bible will be the first of its kind and sought after by the Thai church.

While there are other Thai Study Bibles on the market (translated from English), this TBS edition will be unique because of its Thai perspective and impartial stance on biblical interpretation, reported Dr. Pattemore (in picture, far right).

Thailand is a country with a high standard of education, and a growing Christian population. For many years now TBS has been working to produce a high quality Thai Study Bible.

Dr. Pattemore supports a team of TBS staff and biblical scholars who are writing notes designed specifically for the Thai context – not translated from another Study Bible. This has been a long and arduous task, but it’s nearing the point where the end is in sight.

UBS’s Paratext software enables Dr. Pattemore, who is fluent in Thai, to read and interact with the notes and the team of writers from wherever he is in the world. But opportunities to meet face to face and talk through theological and social issues are important too, he said.

Will you prayerfully consider how you can help support Bible Society’s translation projects by making a gift today?

“In Papua New Guinea the Bible is a huge treasure. It’s like you’ve given them a gift from the moon.”

“They walk around carrying their Bible in a special bag, like a priceless gift. They do this even when the pages are worn and ragged around the edges and falling apart.”

This is the observation of Salvation Army Commissioner Yvonne Westrupp, who has just returned from three years serving in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Joel Peter is Bible Society of Papua New Guinea’s (BSPNG) Translations Manager. He works to support Bible translations in nine languages. In his spare time he works on the translation of the Old Testament into his own Molima language. He says having the Bible in a people’s heart language is critical.

He says the translated Word of God helps his people understand God’s message of salvation and they can respond with faith because it grabs the heart of people.

“My people are glad to have the Bible written in our words, which is the most precious treasure we have.”

Joel says there is still a huge and growing spiritual hunger for the Bible in PNG. “There are many young people giving their lives to the Lord who are without Bibles. Churches, particularly from Milne Bay, are sending numerous requests to BSPNG asking for Bibles in Tok Pisin, Dobu and, of course, English, but Bible Society is unable to meet their needs.”

Joel has a message for you.

“We are so thankful for you and your continuous support of Bible translation in PNG. We are seeing lives changing. The ministry of Bible translation is a huge responsibility in a country like PNG because it is so linguistically diverse with more than 800 languages. May God our heavenly Father bless your hearts.”

Will you partner with us and help bring the Bible to people in Papua New Guinea and other countries in a language they can read and understand?

Ethim is one of the Urak Lawoi, a minority fishing community on Thailand’s Andaman coast, whose land tenure is under threat.

Ethim (right) and Dr Stephen Pattemore learn the new software.

Pictured above; a Bible study group in Baan Nai Rai, an UrakLawoi village on Lanta Yai Island, Krabi province.

Ethim lives in a corrugated iron house and has four years primary education. For years he has worked tirelessly from his bed as a voluntary Bible translator, working to make the Bible available to his people in their heart language.

He was paralysed after diving for salvage and getting the bends. He recovered the use of his upper body but his lower body remains paralysed. Bible Society New Zealand Translations Director Dr. Stephen Pattemore says he now faces a new hurdle but one he will take in his stride.

Ethim, along with all United Bible Society (UBS) translators, has to learn a whole new level of computing involving an upgrade from an existing version of Paratext (special translation software) to a new version. This means migrating all his already translated Bible text to the new software, a complex process. Despite this, the Urak Lawoi Bible is nearly ready for publication after some final checking.

Dr. Pattemore, who is now working on Bible publication plans, says Urak Lawoi is a threatened language, and the communities of Christians there include those who are illiterate, as well as those literate in Thai and Urak Lawoi.

The historical section of the Old Testament will be published in three volumes as diglot* editions in Urak Lawoi and Thai. But the whole Urak Lawoi Bible will probably be an electronic edition. “Smart phones are becoming increasingly popular and widely used in Urak Lawoi villages, and already Pastor AhLin reads his Thai Bible on the YouVersion app. So this seems to be the way to go,” said Dr. Pattemore.

Will you partner with us to make the Bible a reality for those, like the Urak Lawoi, that don’t have it in their heart language?

Children and adults alike from Kiribati and Tuvalu in the South Pacific are delighted to have Bible comic story books in their own heart language for the very first time.

“Their reaction was one of amazement and they were so appreciative,” said Charles Cleary and Seremaia Rareba from the Bible Society of the South Pacific (BSSP). “Please thank all the generous supporters in New Zealand for making this possible,” they said.

More copies of the Bible comic story book titled, The Man Who Trusted God, The Story of Abraham, with content from Genesis 12 to 22, are currently being distributed to Kiribati and Tuvalu churches and communities in Suva, Fiji, before being shipped to the islands.

The Abraham Bible story comics are part of Bible Society’s ongoing mission to reach the people of the South Pacific with the Bible in their heart language.

The next translation project to be finalised in the South Pacific will be the Hano New Testament in Vanuatu. Here, the Hano language is spoken by more than 6,000 people in the North Pentecost area of the island with 1,000 speakers in the main centres.

The last publication of the Scriptures in the Hano language was in 1988, consisting of the four Gospels. The New Testament is nearly complete now with final checking in progress.

It’s hard to imagine that many people in some of New Zealand’s favourite Pacific holiday destinations still do not have the Bible in their own language.

Tropical getaway destinations such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Niue and French Polynesia, many of which have multiple languages, are waiting for Bible translation projects to be completed or started.

Seremaia (left) from BSSP with Rev Kabong, a church minister from the Kiribati community, with some of the comics.

Without the Bible in their own heart language it’s much harder to connect intimately with God.

There is ongoing translation work on the Tongan Contemporary Old Testament. Text is also being prepared for Bible resources such as concordances and electronic Bibles, which will be distributed in Tuvalu, Kiribati, Niue, Tahiti and Tonga.

In Fiji, translation work continues on the Maumi and Korobubu-Ba New Testaments, with both projects due to print trial editions of completed books later in the year.

Finally, people experiencing trauma will be helped by the translation of biblical trauma healing materials into various South Pacific languages.

Apenesia Lewatoro joined BSSP because he was fascinated with translation work and had a heart to make God’s Word available in the language of his people.

He said, “Bibles were originally translated by the missionaries in the 1800s and one of the challenges now is people don’t understand the languages of the past. We’re working towards translating the Bible into today’s languages of contemporary Fijian, Kiribati, Tongan, and Samoan. Then people can understand God’s Word and make changes in their lives.”

“Thank you so much for your kind hearts in supporting Bible work in the South Pacific. God bless you all.

“What I want supporters in New Zealand to know is the Word of God is changing lives in Israel!”

“It is because of your support we can do this. Thank you, and please keep it up, there is still more work to do,” says Victor Kalisher, Head of Bible Society in Israel (BSI).

“For me to know I am here in Israel and you are on the other side of the world, but we are working together in unity to build the body of Christ – it’s so encouraging for us here at BSI.”

One of the ways you can help with Bible mission in Israel right now is by helping BSI reach out to migrants in the Holy Land with the Bible.

Faithful outreach

Every week, without fail, Victor and his team pack up their supplies of Bibles, biblical materials, tables and soup pots and head out to areas of Jerusalem frequented by desperate and poor migrants. They come from many countries including Ethiopia and Russia. The refugees sit, waiting patiently, as the team prepare the food. “Seeing how desperately hungry they are is very sad and makes us wish we could do more,” says Victor.

Migrants like these from African countries, receive Bibles and meals from BSI.

But what he and his team do is open up the fullness of the Bible to these migrants. “We share with them, talk and give them the Gospel. It’s amazing. People ask us questions. Just a few weeks ago a man approached us and said, ‘I want to know more about Jesus, do you have some materials?’ We gave him a New Testament. This is just one example.”

“We give them spiritual food and provide the Bible in many different languages for them,” said Victor.

“One time, an Israeli man came up to us. He said he’d been watching us from a distance and noticed we were not only giving food but we also cared and talked to the refugees showing them love. ‘I know who you are and I know you give Christian literature. Your Jesus must have a lot of love and you show it to others,’ he said. When we asked him if he would like a New Testament in Hebrew, he told us if we had met him in the streets of Tel Aviv he would have said no. But because of what he witnessed today he said, ‘Your God must be a great man and I am more than happy to take a New Testament.’”

Victor’s story

Victor, who trained as an electrical engineer, joined Bible Society because it was a calling on his life. “I knew I would serve the Lord full-time. I knew it from my childhood.”

“My father is a holocaust survivor,” said Victor. “He then went through the Independence War (the 1948 Arab-Israeli war) and with no surviving family or any worldly goods left he came to faith by receiving a Bible. He started reading it and realised there was a God in spite of everything he had been through.

A table stacked full of biblical materials is popular with the many Israelis who are seeking spiritual meaning and truth for their lives.

“The Word of God is living and it changes lives. I’ve seen it through the life of my father. He was never angry. I saw how God worked in his heart. So for me, I know the Lord can change lives through his Word.”

“There are many things that are happening in Israel. In the news you hear about conflict but you don’t hear about what God is doing. God is doing a lot. There is a growing body of believers, people come to faith and they are eager to share their faith with others.”

The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40 (NAS1977)

Easter/Passover outreach

During the time of Easter and Passover, BSI tried a different approach with a Gospel choir from France. During the day, staff and volunteers went out onto the streets and beaches inviting people to the nightly concerts.

“At the entrance, we placed a big table stacked with Bibles in assorted languages. We were surprised by how many books were gone on the first night. The people said that the choir was very good and it even attracted local neighbouring Israelis. Following each song, a short gospel message was given,” shared Victor.

This lady is reading a booklet of 25 Bible stories given to her by BSI.

The homeless, drug addicts and refugees from the park were also invited. Each night after the concert, BSI organised a big cookout and invited everyone. “It was so good to see their smiling faces. For a few hours, at least, they were able to forget all their problems. Some of the people asked for prayer, including a young Israeli woman who was a drug addict. She approached the pastor who had just spoken and hugged him and she said with tears running down her face,

‘Your message touched me. Can your Jesus save me? Please pray for me, I want to start a new life.’”

Victor says BSI is now in regular contact with her and praying God will touch her and transform her life.

We hope you’ve been encouraged by the story Victor has shared. Will you prayerfully consider partnering with us to help reach people in Israel with the Bible?

Can you imagine doing Bible mission in a country at war with fighting, destruction and danger all around you?

A place where Christians are persecuted, the government is unstable, violence is commonplace and poverty is widespread? This is the everyday reality for the Bible Society in Iraq.

Nabil Omiesh, Head of the Bible Society in Iraq, describes their operational conditions as “difficult”, and he makes a plea for support. “Due to the hard and difficult situation Iraq is passing through now, the religious extremism in the region, I would like to ask our Christian friends in New Zealand to help their persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ in Iraq. God bless you.”

They need help to keep them operational, so they can continue to have a presence in this war-torn landscape.

“We always need prayer for our staff, who are working under these difficult circumstances and require tremendous strength.”

Recently, Sandra Elliot from International Christian Concern (ICC) reported in an Assist News Service article the closure of eight churches in Baghdad due to significant loss of the Christian population. She writes, “Christianity was once an integral part of the multi-faceted religious fabric of Iraq. At the beginning of the 21st century, Christians made up ten percent of the total population. The recent history of Iraq, however, reflects a stream of repression, conflict, displacement and persecution.

“For the 230,000 Christians remaining in Iraq, we must continue to pray and support them,” she said.

The Bible Society in Iraq has two offices, one in the north dealing with the needs of the surrounding region and another in Baghdad dealing with the middle and southern part of the country.

Their most immediate need is for a vehicle for Bible distribution. “Our offices are very simple and spartan. We have one distribution van for our offices in Bagdad but we don’t have one for the Arbil (north) office,” says Nabil.

Nabil tells us another pressing need is for essentials like printers and basic office equipment because of their difficult working conditions and their limited budget.

But finally the biggest need, he says, is for prayer. “We always need prayer for our staff, who are working under these difficult circumstances and require tremendous strength.”

But despite all this, Nabil says he and his staff try to work hard with “joy and peace” in their hearts “to serve the Lord Jesus Christ”.

This steadfast faith is bearing fruit, and the Bible Society in Iraq is considered an important part of the Christian culture in the country.

Nabil says they’re providing several key Bible programmes for children and people in need as well as an important Bible-based trauma healing programme.

Persecution and physical hardship are also commonplace for Christians in Bangladesh.

A developing country, Bangladesh continually faces severe environmental issues, such as last month’s devastating monsoon rains which displaced millions of people, along with poverty and illiteracy.

In Bangladesh there is no war, but in many other ways, the situation is just as bleak as Iraq.

Only 0.6% of the vast 165 million population is Christian. Bangladeshi Christians tend to be poor and working in rural areas. They live in villages and are mostly farmers living hand to mouth. Their low income means they are not able to purchase Scriptures for their own use, yet this growing Christian community is hungry for the Word of God.

Bible Society is the only supplier of Scriptures to the churches in Bangladesh and they depend on them to provide Bibles for their committed, but unsupported, congregations.

“In addition to keeping the Christian community supplied with Scriptures, there is a great need to share the Bible with this huge number of people, who speak 46 different languages and have not yet heard the Word of God,” said acting Bangladesh Bible Society CEO Richmond Joydhor.

Like Iraq, the Bible Society’s greatest need in Bangladesh is for a vehicle. Bibles and biblical resources are too sensitive to post in Bangladesh so the only safe means of distribution is through private transportation to reach every corner of the country. They also need help with basic operational costs including equipment and staff training.

Would you prayerfully consider this opportunity to help continue the Bible work in Iraq and Bangladesh? Your gift will help provide resources including vehicles to ensure they can continue to reach people with the Bible.

You can make a secure donation now using this form…

Christianity is growing significantly in Myanmar and people are seeking truth through the Bible.

But there are many people who can’t afford to buy a Bible or don’t know how to get hold of a copy.

With a quarter of the population living below the poverty line, the goal is to distribute Bibles at a price people can afford.

We want to help the Myanmar Bible Society supply Scriptures to Christians in the three languages of: Myanmar (nationwide), Sgaw Karen (in the south) and Jinghpaw (in the north).

“We want to provide both ethnic majority and ethnic minority people with Scriptures in national and ethnic languages which they can read and understand clearly, to help them grow in the knowledge of God,” said Khoi Lam, Myanmar Bible Society CEO.

Myanmar Bible

Myanmar is the official language of Myanmar and is widely spoken even by ethnic minorities. The literacy rate across the country is high at 95% and demand for this Bible is huge.

Sgaw Karen Bible

Karen (Kayin) is the largest majority group in Myanmar, numbering about 7,000,000 (the number of Christians is about 500,000). Many Karen are living in the mountains and Thai border area. They are in need of the Bible.

Jinghpaw Bible

Kachin is the name commonly used by outsiders for the 600,000 tribal people calling themselves Jinghpaw. They also form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognised by China, where they numbered 132,143 people in the 2000 census. Jingpaw is spoken by 425,000 people in Myanmar and by 40,000 people in China. Due to political unrest in the region, thousands of Jinghpaw are internally displaced. Most of them are Christians.

Country facts

The population of Myanmar is 52 million of which 89.3 % are Buddhist, with Christians making up less than 6%. The government recognises 135 different ethnic groups and it’s estimated there are about 200 spoken languages. Myanmar (Burmese) is the official language and is spoken by about 68% of the population as their first language.

Will you partner with us and help reach more than 10,000 people in Myanmar with the Bible in the language they can read and understand?

Cuba is changing with the Bible

“In one area of Cuba, Pinar del Rio, they were very excited when they saw something they had never seen before – a whole box of Bibles. Earlier they had seen two or three Bibles at once but never a whole box,” commented a Pastor.

Alain Montano, CEO of the Bible Commission of Cuba (far right) with members of an Adventist Church in Santiago, Cuba

The vision of the Bible Commission in Cuba (Bible Society Cuba) is for every Cuban Christian to own a Bible. The project to achieve this is called One million Bibles for Cuba. And already, thanks to the support of many of you last year, plus the ongoing support of many others around the world, some 730,000 Bibles have so far been distributed in Cuba. Now another 270,000 Bibles are needed to meet the one million goal. Will you help us reach this target this year?

When you help supply more Bibles, you will be answering the prayers of Cubans who are seeking God.

What God is doing in Cuba is a miracle. God is transforming this nation through Bible distribution and Scripture engagement. But with a population of 11 million people and a nearly 100 percent literacy rate, combined with an unprecedented growth in Christianity, Bibles are like water in a dry, parched land.

“There is still a long way to go,” says Alain Montano, CEO of the Bible Commission of Cuba. “We must continue while the doors are open to spread God’s Word in our country.”

Providing Bibles will change lives by bringing God’s Word to people here. This is a country where scraps of Scripture have been passed down on pieces of paper, hand-to-hand between believers, because Bibles were just not available,” he said.

“We see the libraries in the churches are almost empty. There are no Bibles with commentaries and no biblical texts,” said Mr Montano. The reason for the constant demand for Bibles in Cuba is simple: In the last 10 years, the number of Christians has doubled.

Orgalis Santana Parcaval

Bernt Olsen from the Norwegian Bible Society, who visited Cuba said, “This is the biggest need for Bibles I have seen in any country. The need for Bibles is unimaginably large – none of the churches have enough Bibles to give to new members, the elderly, children and youth, to students and pastor seminaries.”

The people of Cuba are crying out for the Bible. You can help meet this need.

“In my church there are many who do not have their own Bible. People are baptised but do not get a Bible. It is a Bible crisis in Cuba – there are so few Bibles to find,” said Orgalis Santana Parcaval (30), a seminary student at the Eastern Baptist Church, Cuba.

Around 35 percent of these Bibles will go to children, who are key churchgoers in Cuba. Mr Montano said this work is vital. “When you give a Bible to a child in Cuba, you are giving a Bible to the whole family.”

“We’ve had a lot of examples where parents have come to church because the children brought home a Bible.” He explains that these Bibles are suitable translations for children with colour illustrations.

Young people with Bibles at a pentecostal church in Havana, Cuba

As well as reaching children, the recent introduction of regional Bible distribution centres is ensuring Bibles reach those most in need. These centres are making a huge difference in helping get Bibles to out-of-the- way places in the countryside.

“It is very comprehensive work distributing this many Bibles in a project this size – One million Bibles to Cuba,” said Mr Montano.

This initiative will reach five distinct audiences: school-aged children receiving their first Bible, teens and older youth, adult new believers, prisoners, and seminary students and clergy.

Will you help reach the goal of giving One million Bibles to believers in Cuba by making a gift?

If you’d like to partner with us in reaching Cuba with the Bible, you can donate now using the form below.

The Palestinian Bible Society reaches children and youth through creative programmes

The Palestinian Bible Society aims to reach out to Palestinian children and youth through a Bible-based programme which includes conferences, camps, puppet shows and biblical trips for special events like Christmas and Easter. The programme reaches children and youth with its message of encouragement and biblical values in churches, clubs, villages and schools.

“One of the children who participated in the Bible camp comes from a Christian family that is not engaged in the Church and has never taught anything Christian to their children. It was a shock for Tony to hear stories from the Bible, as he never had a Bible and never understood what it meant to be a Christian,” explains a Palestinian staff member.

“The story of Joseph touched his heart, so he returned home and shared with his parents that God can take care of us, even in the hardest of circumstances. This testimony touched his mother’s heart. Today she is reading the Bible with her children every night and has started to attend church on a regular basis.”

One young sceptic met the Bible Society team who shared with him the story of Jesus. He is now a volunteer! The staff worker explains, “One young man was reluctant to hear the story of the crucifixion at first, as he had many doubts about Christ and why he was crucified.

“However, when we began sharing the story of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, he listened attentively. After a long discussion and many one to one interactions with him, he began to understand that the cross paid the price for his sin. Today he is one find it challenging, even threatening, to cope with the high number of refugees. So I found it was a signal of true Christian of the active volunteers who is doing puppet shows and reading his Bible on a daily basis!”